>[A conservative explains]
Ooops, sorry, hadn't noticed you'd done that already.
Brooks may be a conservative, but I'm afraid he's mostly right about this argument. That Time poll, which has 39% of Americans either thinking they're in the top 1% or will be someday, is just as revealing as Brooks claims. It uncovers a fundamental fantasy about American life. Even though we've got the most unequal distribution of income in the rich world, the highest poverty levels, the greatest persistence of low-wage pay, and only moderate levels of mobility - that all doesn't matter. Most Americans just don't care. You could recite the facts over & over and it won't make a dent in that fundamental fantasy. I'll be damned if I can think what to do about it.
Doug